One of my colleagues taught a PMP Prep course in early April, and one of the candidates in her class took and passed the online exam.
Here is the un-edited feedback from that individual:
"First of all, I learned that if you have an in-person exam scheduled, you will not see the online option. In order to see it, you need to cancel your exam (Fees are waved for now), and then re-apply and you will see the option.
I will do a quick bullet list of things that are good to know:
• you require a working webcam and microphone
• you can not have your phone near you during the test
• the test is open 30 minutes before to allow you to do the check-in process, which I will detail below
o it performs a systems test to ensure your internet speed is sufficient, and that you have a working microphone and webcam.
o they make you take pictures of your face, your ID (drivers license, etc) and 4 pictures of your desk area (front, back, left, right)
o you sign disclaimers about not sharing details of the test,etc.
• there is a tutorial at the beginning that lets you get used to the provided calculator and whiteboard (YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED A PHYSICAL CALCULATOR OR SCRATCH PAD/PEN)
o the whiteboard has plenty of functionality, and allows you to use text, which would allow the “brain dump”
o here’s an overview of the feature https://home.pearsonvue.com/op/online-proc...eboard-overview o unfortunately the calculator must be operated with the mouse. It does not interact with your keyboard
• they make you download and install an application (OnVue) which, once the test begins takes over your full screen
• highlight/strike through options are available, but the application makes you highlight the text, and then choose strikeout or highlight (there are keyboard functions, but they are not very intuitive. I think highlight was Alt+J for example)
• There is a chat function at the top. If you click it, it calls a proctor (they won’t be immediate). I did this at the beginning just to see the feature, not realizing how it worked. They just wished me luck, and I proceeded??. This function would be used by the proctor in case of technical issues. If they could not reach you there, they would reach out via phone (this is your only exception to the phone rule)
• just a tidbit, because I was unsure – I had snacks beside me on my desk and ate them along the way, as well as water of course. They did not raise any concerns.
• The 10 minute break allowed me to use the restroom and stretch a bit. I only used around 4 minutes.
Aside from that, the interface is pretty intuitive. Everything I explained above is walked through in the tutorial.
For more information on it, here’s a link. In fact, this is where you need to go to take the test when it’s time!
https://home.pearsonvue.com/pmi/onvue"
It would be great if others who have taken the PMP exam online in the near term could share their experiences! Saving Changes...
Thanks Mohit. So a FREE 10 minute break? The time is frozen for test takers? If so, that is very kind of PMI! Cool deal! Best wishes to you now you are a PMP! I'll feature your feedback on my channel and shoot you a congratulatory gift. PMP is a BIG deal!
Thanks Phil. Yes, the 10-minute break doesn't count towards the exam time. But it is important to get back before the 10 minutes timer runs out, otherwise (I was told, not 100% sure) the exam gets terminated.
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2 replies by Phil Akinwale and smita Karadge
Apr 28, 2020 10:49 PM
Phil Akinwale
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Thank you for confirming Mohit!
Indeed that sounds correct. Students must be back promptly or that's it! Best wishes.
May 08, 2020 1:33 PM
smita Karadge
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they make you download and install an application (OnVue) which, once the test begins takes over your full screen ..
Can help how you managed to take it from home with OFC laptop or personal laotop as i have only ofc laptop. Anyone can guide on this. as i see system requirement doc onVUE but not sure if any issues while taking exam
Saving Changes...
Phil AkinwaleProject Management & Leadership Speaker, Coach, Trainer & Author| PRAIZIONMesa, Az, United States
Apr 28, 2020 9:26 PM
Replying to Mohit Joshi
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Thanks Phil. Yes, the 10-minute break doesn't count towards the exam time. But it is important to get back before the 10 minutes timer runs out, otherwise (I was told, not 100% sure) the exam gets terminated.
Thank you for confirming Mohit!
Indeed that sounds correct. Students must be back promptly or that's it! Best wishes. Saving Changes...
Thanks for sharing Kiron. I featured this on my YT and gave you a shout out. Very helpful to calm those nerves!
Thanks Phil! Saving Changes...
Anonymous
Hi, many thanks for the info, much appreciated.
I am considering to take the PMP exam online but have some doubts:
- are earplugs allowed? (Pearson vue page only talks about headphones forbidden)
- how user-friendly is the whiteboard tool? (i.e. how good it works to build a critical path schema with 6-8 different activities and durations? - I assume more time consuming than pen and paper)
- info typed or drafted in the whiteboard remains there for the rest of the exam unless you wipe it? ( I assume yes as the initial post is referring to “brain dump” possible on this feature)
- is the proctor interrupting too much? (I heard about they intervene anytime they see the minimum disruption on your gesture to avoid any cheating)
- questions are the same than the site exam or there is a dedicated bunch of them not appearing online (for instance, the ones that require multiple maths or sketching, that would be less user friendly online)
Anybody who has passed the online exam could please provide inputs? Many thanks in advance Saving Changes...
Hi there, thank you for sharing this valuable information. I intend to take PMI ACP Exam from home and seek advice from anyone who took this exam from home as this is still a new thing for test takers.
Did someone face any technical glitches. If so, how such problems will be resolved and how it will impact the time of the test.
I understand that you are not allowed to move out of sight of the invigilator. However, how about if someone wants to stretch his legs. Is it allowed to stand up for a while or one needs to be in the sitting posture for all three hours.
Any response will be truly appreciated.
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1 reply by Stéphane Parent
May 05, 2020 12:30 PM
Stéphane Parent
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All the technical glitches were at my end, Tayyab. We worked around them before the exam. I never budged from my chair for over two hours. I only got up when I was done.
Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
May 03, 2020 5:58 PM
Replying to Tayyab Hussain
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Hi there, thank you for sharing this valuable information. I intend to take PMI ACP Exam from home and seek advice from anyone who took this exam from home as this is still a new thing for test takers.
Did someone face any technical glitches. If so, how such problems will be resolved and how it will impact the time of the test.
I understand that you are not allowed to move out of sight of the invigilator. However, how about if someone wants to stretch his legs. Is it allowed to stand up for a while or one needs to be in the sitting posture for all three hours.
Any response will be truly appreciated.
All the technical glitches were at my end, Tayyab. We worked around them before the exam. I never budged from my chair for over two hours. I only got up when I was done.
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1 reply by Tayyab Hussain
May 05, 2020 1:04 PM
Tayyab Hussain
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Many thanks for your reply mate. May I request to share a little more about technical glitches. I mean what sort of technical problems and how long it took to fix them.
Further, I understand that u finished the exam in two hours. Is it bcoz exam was relatively easy OR u prepared it extremely well ??
All the technical glitches were at my end, Tayyab. We worked around them before the exam. I never budged from my chair for over two hours. I only got up when I was done.
Many thanks for your reply mate. May I request to share a little more about technical glitches. I mean what sort of technical problems and how long it took to fix them.
Further, I understand that u finished the exam in two hours. Is it bcoz exam was relatively easy OR u prepared it extremely well ??
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1 reply by Stéphane Parent
May 05, 2020 1:18 PM
Stéphane Parent
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My first try at uploading pictures of the four sides of my test room was not successful. I tried a second time with my laptop but the proctor found it unusable. I had to use my phone to take pictures and send them.
I would not say the exam was easy or difficult. I believe I was adequately prepared for the exam. The reason I finished the exam after two hours is that I had completed all the questions and needed to go to the bathroom. I would normally have spent the last hour reviewing questions but, obviously, I did not need to second guess myself.
Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
May 05, 2020 1:04 PM
Replying to Tayyab Hussain
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Many thanks for your reply mate. May I request to share a little more about technical glitches. I mean what sort of technical problems and how long it took to fix them.
Further, I understand that u finished the exam in two hours. Is it bcoz exam was relatively easy OR u prepared it extremely well ??
My first try at uploading pictures of the four sides of my test room was not successful. I tried a second time with my laptop but the proctor found it unusable. I had to use my phone to take pictures and send them.
I would not say the exam was easy or difficult. I believe I was adequately prepared for the exam. The reason I finished the exam after two hours is that I had completed all the questions and needed to go to the bathroom. I would normally have spent the last hour reviewing questions but, obviously, I did not need to second guess myself. Saving Changes...
What about the use of whiteboard? Is it intuitive? Is it working good for calculations, PDM, etc? Did you use earplugs? Did the proctor interrupted too much during the exam? Thanks in advance Saving Changes...
